Benevolence
by Maddox139
Summary: A story about growth and what it means to be human. Satoru Suzuki-now Ainz Ooal Gown meets a young girl whose very existence questions his humanity, or lack off.


**Overlord**

 _Chapter 1: Stranger_

.

.

.

 _It was raining._

Most people would dislike the gloomy skies and the wet nights that followed. Such negative sentiments all stemmed from the fact that the wet seasons usually attracted terrible creatures of the night to roam actively. It was as if the heavy droplets filled these terrors with unholy vigour.

Those afflicted the most were the commoners etching out a meagre living in the frontier villages.

Beset by prowling beasts, roaming bandits and the occasional uppity noble, life at the village of Anabrekka was harsh and unrewarding.

Yet…

A girl three years past the age of adulthood sat serenely on an on old rotten stump under the cloudy sky.

Her rough and long mane of auburn hair which was usually tied in a braid on her left was now drenched and clung to her neck.

If someone were to draw a scene from this, it would be as if the girl would remain just as she was even if the world around her was wreathed in flames.

The girl shivered and suppressed a sneeze making its way. In truth she wished to be dry under a warm sheet as she laid to sleep but she would never allow herself that comfort, at least not yet.

This was her way of mourning.

The girl- Asta Skovgaard, was the last remaining member of her family.

Despite the fact that she knew falling ill as a frontier villager was extremely dangerous for normal households let alone hers, this was the only way for her to confront emotions that she could not understand herself.

Since the day she was born, Asta Skovgaard was not what many would consider a 'normal' person.

She was cold and aloof, never able to properly express her feelings nor understand the unsaid emotions of others. Because of this she was isolated by the rest of the villagers and only received the warmth of human kindness from her father.

Her father that according to the village chief was killed in the terrible massacre of Katze Plains along with so many others. When she inquired about his remains so that she may bury him respectfully the village chief simply shook his head.

Bereft of the only person that could love and understand her, the girl no longer cared about sickness and the next meal.

As she stared listlessly at the moon that still shone bright amongst the pouring rain, she wondered how to remove the painful rock-like feeling in her throat and fill the strange empty hole in her chest.

 _The pitter-patter of the rain went on…_

 _And on…_

 _And on…_

She remembered the boisterous laughter of a man echoing within the small confines of their humble home. Although she never joined him in laughing aloud, she was content with just hearing the sound of her father's joy.

She also remembered the times of a poor harvest. They would lose some weight and the bones on their faces could be more easily seen but the cheer of the man sitting across her with a pitiful half-empty bowl of wheat porridge shared between the two was still the same.

She remembered the looks of a crying man as he recounted the stories of a woman she never met but had given her life to bring life to her. She herself had never cried before but she disliked to see her father crying.

She remembered the one and only time when her father had turned to her with an ashen face to inform her of his conscription to the Royal Army for yet another pointless war. It was like some evil spirit had sucked out all the hope and good cheer of the man before her. It was the last time she saw her father.

The girl sitting on the rotting stump let loose a long sigh. It seemed like the creatures that preyed on Man were lazy tonight.

Here was a girl in the cover of the night amidst the pouring showers at the edge of the village sitting helplessly on a rotten stump and nothing showed up.

She let out yet another sigh and stood up to return home, only to meet with surprise when she turned around.

"-uh, hello."

It was a deep and baritone voice of a man. He was almost a head taller than her and had on him the darkest robes that seemed to absorb light. A strange mask was on his face while metal gloves covered his hands.

"What a strange man."

The fellow across her seemed taken aback for the slightest moment before he bowed his head respectfully. "I apologize for disturbing you. I came here for fresh air but it seems I have intruded, again-sorry."

The girl tilted her head as she sorted out her thoughts. Then as if she arrived at a conclusion, she nodded.

"Then you must be worried too."

"I-uh…What makes you think that?"

What made her think that? Asta was never an expert in human emotions but she prided herself in deriving conclusions on logic.

"Only those that have things they cannot vent and emotions they do not understand come here."

 _Since I am here, this should be the right answer._

The figure standing opposite her as she observed more carefully looked intrigued.

"Oh? Is this a local tradition? Or is there some folklore regarding this place?"

 _Not really._

"That's just how it is for me."

Once more, the figure was taken aback and did not speak for a while. She sat back down on the rotten log and stared at the moon. The stranger stood stock still.

She could not tell where his eyes might be possibly looking at or what might have captured his attention due to the mask but she did not care. Only the image of the bright moon in this cold, stormy night filled her vision.

"So what is troubling you?"

The girl never took her eyes off the moon but answered nonetheless.

"I don't know and perhaps I might never know, but…" The girl reached out a hand to touch the image of that bright moon that shone its hardest despite the clouds that obscured it. It was a pointless gesture but she felt adventurous today, perhaps it was the circumstance of the day or the present company?

"…this comforts me."

It would have been a nice way to end things between two strangers, but…

"Achoo!"

"Ah…"

.

.

.

"My apologies…"

"Think nothing of it. But a young girl like you shouldn't be out in the rain like that for too long, here take the tower and drink this."

It was a purple coloured liquid in a clear bottle, frankly it looked disgusting.

The girl pulled the corked out with a loud 'pop!'

"Smells disgusting too."

"Stop complaining. As the saying goes, 'The more bitter the medicine, the better.'"

She cranked her head up from the straw mats and looked at the stranger bemusedly. She did not know the best way to describe the man before her, but the closest thing to friendly human interaction she knew of was…

"You sound like a father."

For some reason, the stranger relaxed and let out a sigh of his own.

"In a manner of speaking…"

"You do realize I can't pay you back for the medicine right?"

"There are… other ways. But that's not important now, drink up."

 _Other ways?_

She could think of many other methods of repayment, none of them were to her liking.

"What's the matter? Is the potion that terrible that you can't stomach to drink it?"

The girl kept her silence and stared intensely at the figure before her. The stranger sighed in defeat.

"Very well. Think of it as a token of apology for my earlier disturbance and payment for an experiment."

Seeing the girl's eyebrows raise in question, he continued.

"The potion you see before you is a prototype for an improved version of the common blue 'Health' potion. I also wish to see if it could heal sicknesses as it could wounds. Well?"

She drank it in a single mouth and kept herself from retching it out. The figure went out the door and whispered "I will see you later."

Her vision got blurrier and her eyelids felt heavy before she slept.

The girl woke up to the sight of a stranger clad in midnight robes that greedily devoured light.

"Ah, you are awake."

Her mind was still muddled and she could only manage a nod while using her hands to lightly slap herself awake.

"How do you feel? Has the potion worked or are you still sick?"

The girl struggled to sit up from her covers, her body vehemently protested and she dearly wanted to return back to the land of dreams but it was only good manners that she paid attention to her guest.

 _Since when did we have such luxurious bed sheets?_

She checked her own body heat by covering her temple with a hand and closing her eyes. Her body felt normal, better than ever even. It was like the ache of thankless toils were washed away but…

The feeling of a sharp rock in her throat did not go away nor did the painful hole in her chest.

"Sorry to disappoint you but your potion failed."

"Huh?"

The man looked surprised, it seemed like he genuinely did not expect the experiment to fail.'

"It cannot be… I even tested it multiple times before… "

In her current state she could not properly hear what the stranger was mumbling but she could imagine his eyes widening to a comical degree under his mask.

For some reason, she felt it was her fault.

"Sorry for troubling you."

"No, no. This is not your fault, the potion is still in the development phase after all."

The figure waved his hands regally like that of someone with authority.

"But may I know why you said it was a failure?"

She did not know. Or rather, the situation confused her. Her body felt fine and she was sure she could immediately proceed to tend to the crops. Yet, there had to be something wrong with this body that the potion did not fix.

"I do not know how to explain clearly but there is a pain in my chest and a feeling of rawness in my throat."

The figure placed a glove hand to his chin like he was in deep thought. His motions screamed 'aristocracy' to her but there was a certain feeling of falseness to it all. It was as if the person before her was acting out the motions.

"I am no pharmacist or healer so I apologize for not being able to immediately understand what went wrong but in order to properly study the effects of the potion…"

As he stood there with the bearings of a king in her humble home, she could not help but shiver at his gaze.

 _Am I in danger?_

"I would like to formally employ you to be a research assistant."

 _An assistant for potion making? I know nothing of that sort, it would be too irresponsible to accept._

In her mind, she would not do something like deceiving her employers just to get a job which she was unsuited for. She was taught to live an honest living so she would respect her father's meaningful intentions.

"I can't possibly accept that."

The stranger seemed to have expected her to reply as such and posed his own explanation.

"Prior knowledge of alchemy and herbs are not required. All you would have to do is test some of the new potions. I assure you there will be proper compensation and healthcare should anything unfortunate happen. You will also be paid monthly and if you so desire, you can opt to learn more about the field of alchemy and it's like. If I am pleased with your progress, you would be granted a yearly bonus and pay increment. But be warned that though I am generous to hard workers, I do not forgive lazy or irresponsible employees."

This time she was the one who became speechless. Like a puppet whose strings had been cut, the girl sagged back to her sheets.

"Uh, hey. O-oi!"

 _Such an offer is too tantalizing to be genuine. I just want to lay here for the rest of my life._

"Not buying it."

"Huh?! This is a once in a lifetime offer you know? It's simply not possible to find something as good as this elsewhere… So why?"

The girl looked at where she thought his eyes might be and in the most serious of tones she could muster, she answered.

"To work is to lose."

.

.

.

At the outskirts of E-Rental, there were many 'frontier' villages.

Before Ainz had subjugated the fortress city, it was not uncommon for frontier villages to suddenly disappear off the map or new ones to form due to many reasons.

Carne village was one such example of a frontier village and the folk were hardier here than those living in relative comfort in comparison to them.

After the peaceful handover of E-Rental and its territories they are now known as the Sorcerous Kingdom. A full week has passed since the foundation of the Sorcerous Kingdom and the Supreme Being himself that commands the fate of all who live in it has made it a point to pay a visit to many of the villages that feed the nation.

In his immense wisdom and unfathomable cunning intellect, Ainz Ooal Gown has decided to expand and improve the livelihoods of the frontier villagers for a cassus belli and generating good will for further expansion.

Or so Demiurge had explained to the other Guardians.

 _Just who is this Ainz-san that is so wise and cunning hm? I would really like to meet this excellent fellow._

Though his body was immune to fatigue and illness, the mental stress accumulated had been overbearing on the human Satoru Suzuki. Though his thoughts were in disarray and the beating of his non-existent heart had been pounding continuously since a while ago, he remained a powerful figure that is untouchable to the NPCs that were currently in the same carriage as him.

Clad in black plate adamantium armor was Momon, or rather Pandora's Actor who sat across him. The pair were accompanied by a homunculus maid of the Ninth Floor as well as the usual assembly of Six-Edge Assassins and a retinue of level 90 NPCs from Nazarick known as Overlord Wiseman.

The group were on a journey to the next village going by the name of Anabrekka. It was another frontier village like Carne but apparently sightings of dragons had once been reported there a decade ago. Another known fact was that Anabrekka, like so many other villages, were severely depleted of man power since most of the able men had been conscripted into the Royal Army only to have met their end at Katze Plains.

Simply put, Ainz was on a mission to improve the goodwill of the villagers and ensure their compliance with his rule along with the help of the hero-Momon.

Already they had visited many villages and his opinion of the nobles that left the villagers to fend for themselves dropped from the point of 'black company superiors' to 'human garbage'.

The human him would have balked at the expense of human life and poor treatment of the commoners but the him now-Ainz Ooal Gown could not come to understand why the nobles were so blinded by their own arrogance and refused to invest more into their people.

 _Even for the sake of self-interest, they should have made an effort to protect their holdings and possessions. No, that's wrong. Especially for the sake of self-interest, they should have prioritized the efficiency of their employees and treat them well._

"Ill treatment breeds dissent."

The head of Pandora's Actor nodded in approval before raising a fist upwards exaggeratedly.

"Yes! It is as you say O' creator of mine!"

 _Ah right… I regret everything._

"Please stop that, put your hand down. I understand that you must be excited to be on a mission but you need to stop those exaggerated motions. No, please stop that."

"My apologies Ainz-sama, but I agree with you. The citizens we have met today are an impoverished lot and there is a lot of brewing resentment for the nobility. If left unchecked…"

"Umu. We would have an uprising on our hands."

"Yes, it is as Ainz-sama says. Though it would not be a hassle for your forces to dispatch them, productivity would starkly decline and no one would contend with submitting to your rule. Even with the aid of 'Momon'."

It was strange how the two smartest people in Nazarick would easily misinterpret what he wanted and yet it was Pandora's Actor that understood what he wanted.

 _So this guy was like that. Is it because I created him? I did set his intelligence quite high if I remember correctly._

"One more thing, if I may Ainz-sama?"

"Speak."

 _When he's not in 'that' mood this fellow is actually quite different._

"You don't have to put so much stress on yourself. For the next village, let me do most of the talking, you must be tired from doing it all day."

Ainz stared blankly at the NPC sitting before him, a feeling of guilt and warmth spread across his chest.

"How could I push all the work to my hard working subordinates and claim all the credit myself? No, we would proceed the same for the rest of the meet and greet. Your concern is more than enough, thank you Pandora's Actor."

"A-Ainz sama! It brings me such joy for such words to be said from you! Ah-right, I mean thank you Ainz-sama, serving you is my greatest joy itself."

His creation fidgeted and looked downwards in shame for its earlier outburst. Usually Pandora's Actors setting included excessive use of exaggerated body expression which served as a reminder to a dark chapter of Satoru Suzuki's life.

 _But no matter how embarrassing it is, is it not too cruel to supress the children of our guild? It is my responsibility as his creator that I bear these emotional scars for his sake._

"Ah-Pandora's Actor. That is, uh, you don't have to stop yourself from being who you are. I am proud of you."

At the side, Ainz could spot the maid, Foire dabbing a handkerchief on her wet eyes.

 _Is it that touching? Aren't you crying a bit too easily?_

"Ainz-sama, thank you but you need not worry about-it appears we have arrived."

"Yes it has."

Foire debarked first followed by the Overlord Wisemen and held the door of the carriage with an expression on her face that said, 'Look at me! I'm working!'

Ainz, having been a below average salary man wanted to squirm when given such reverent treatment but could not find anything to say to the happily smiling maid.

When 'Momon' and he debarked, they were met with the fearful gaze of the gathered villages of Anabrekka. Many of which were awed by their display of power upon the sight of the group, but all in fear of the one they call the Sorcerer King.

 _Time to work hard again!_

 _._

 _._

 _._

"I trust you are satisfied with this arrangement?"

"Y-yes, your majesty."

The Sorcerer King let out a sigh and the village chief stiffened. Apparently his lord was not amused.

"You may speak freely and ask any queries you may have without fear of censure. You have my word as the Sorcerer King."

The black armoured hero, Momon, nodded to the punitive man. Telling him to say his piece. Feeling more assured, the chief asked timidly.

"If I-I may? Why would his esteemed Majesty care about the lives of we lowly peasants? I-no, all of us here are thankful for the generous offers your Majesty has pledged to us but… Your Majesty benefits much lesser than we do from this arrangement."

"Ah I see your concerns. Let me speak this now so that there would be no further misunderstandings. I do not hate the living like others of my kind nor do I despise humanity. But I am a merciful lord to those who would offer me loyalty and hard work. I do not wish to rule an impoverished wasteland for what can be more rewarding than building my very own utopia? Serve me well and you shall prosper under my protection."

For the first time since they arrived, the facial expressions of the chief and those listening brightened. Their eyes filled with devotion and growing respect for their undying lord.

"I believe we have concluded our discussion no?"

"Yes. Yes! Thank you your Majesty! Thank you! Truly!"

Ainz bid them farewell and some of the village children even came out to offer him flowers they picked. The flowers themselves served no purpose and were not even pleasing to look at but something in him smiled at seeing children earnestly trying their hardest to thank him.

Maybe this whole aristocracy business had its benefits after all…

 _But still its freaking tiring. Ahh… What would that proper King (Jircniv) do in my situation?_

The human him would have begged to take a long vacation from his duties and hide in a corner at his apartment.

 _Guess it's time for a short break. It should be fine right?_

"Take a break all of you, it has been quite a tiresome day. I shall be taking a walk-there." He pointed to a small clearing at the edge of the forest.

It was already night time when the meeting with the village chief ended with a success. At the moment, dark clouds had formed and it looked like a heavy downpour was about to occur.

 _I always liked thunderstorms._

When Ainz saw the hesitant looks of Foire and Pandora's Actor, he acted quickly before they insisted in coming along with him. He was desperate for some alone time but needed to phrase it in a way they would not follow him.

"Only the Six-Edge Assassins need guard my person. I insist the rest of you rest until I get back." He looked at the gathered assassins and bowed apologetically, "Sorry to trouble you."

Ignoring the immediate responses of the NPCs, he entered the forest.

Ainz had been walking for a while and his assigned bodyguards were currently following him under their sneak skills. For all it looked to outsiders, he was travelling alone.

He was also currently wearing the mask and iron gloves he used when he first arrived at Carne village. It was to hide the fact that Ainz Ooal Gown the Sorcerer King was walking alone in the forest from the human villagers since it would cause unwarranted suspicion of him.

Punittoe Moe once explained to him that something about the actions of those in authority having a more pronounced effect whether it was their intention or not.

Although no one would have dared to say anything untoward about him, it was better to avoid trouble than to needlessly cause it.

 _I doubt there is anyone here though…_

The sound of crumpled leaves and thick vegetation continued on and on. It was soothing in a way when accompanied by the roaring of thunder and the smell of rain.

Already his non-existent heart was getting recharged.

Then upon entering an open area in the canopy where he could see the bright moon that shone through the storm he saw a young girl of auburn hair sitting peacefully as if accepting her fate.

She was dressed in peasant clothes- one of the villages most likely. Her long hair which was tied in a braid that had been favoured on her left was drenched in rain. She was of average build, perhaps a little skinnier than many others in Anabrekka. The girl that sat on a pitiful rotten tree stump while staring lifelessly at the moon was slightly prettier than average but her eyes which had a shade of blue were like those on a rotten fish.

Rather her expression gave one the impression of a rotten fish. How peculiar.

He did not know how long he stood there, staring at the strange sight of the human girl. It first occurred to him that she could have been a threat or a player from Yggdrasil that had tracked him here for some nefarious reason but as time went on, the girl had not yet made a move.

 _Some of the PK methods that players used back then had someone dressed as a newbie while their teammates hid waiting for any fool to bite the bait._

But would any player resort to such risky tactics when there was no guarantee of revival in the New World? Or was the girl one of the locals here that works for them?

In any case it would be safer to ignore her and return to his retinue. But before Ainz could make a move, the girl stood up and turned to face him.

 _Shit! I might have made a mistake!_

But nothing happened other than a mild look of surprise on the girl's face. If it truly was a trap it would have sprung by now, meaning it was most likely that she only came here for her own reasons.

For now, it was better to greet her and be on his way.

"-uh, hello."

 _There! That should be enough, time to go…_

"What a strange man."

Ainz had to refrain from jerking forward when he heard her remark. Thoughts of 'Does she know who I am?' and 'What if she spreads that Ainz Ooal Gown was a strange pervert that disguised himself to scare little girls' filled his head.

 _I knew this disguise was pointless! Killing a girl because of something like this seems excessive though…_ _Maybe I can still get out of this._

"I apologize for disturbing you. I came here for fresh air but it seems I have intruded, again-sorry."

 _Time to leave and pretend this never happened._

The girl looked like she was thinking of something to say and because of that, it felt awkward to leave.

"Then you must be worried too." The girl said in a voice that was tender yet hoarse, like that of someone who had trouble swallowing a bitter pill of misery.

The words she said however might have meant something else, but the way she sounded so sure of her statement made him furrow his non-existent brow.

The more he thought about what she said, the less clear the answer he wanted to reply with became. In many ways, she was right.

"I-uh…What makes you think that?"

"Only those that have things they cannot vent and emotions they do not understand come here."

 _Is it like one of those places that subtly affects the mind to act a certain way? There were many studies on human psychology that featured something like that back in my world. This might be useful but how to phrase it in a way the locals would understand? I doubt they would know anything about the terms 'psychology'. Many aspects of human thought were deeply engrained in stories, legends and religion. Maybe something along these lines?_

"Oh? Is this a local tradition? Or is there some folklore regarding this place?"

"That's just how it is for me."

 _N-nevermind then. Still, although it's not my business, I don't think it's normal for humans to come out here alone just to stare at the sky. Didn't the village chief complain about dangerous monsters coming out during the rain, especially at night? Maybe this girl isn't human. I need more information._

"So what is troubling you?"

The girl remained silent for a while and for a moment he thought she did not hear him amidst the noisy impact of rain on leaves. Without looking at him, she reached out a thin, feeble hand that was even now shivering, in an attempt to caress the moon flying so far away.

He doubted that the human Satoru Suzuki of ten years ago would find her actions born of sentimentality to be endearing, rather he might have detested it. But after experiencing his greatest joy in life with his treasured friends in Yggdrasil, he could understand something like that.

 _I think she wants to die. That would have been like the me that was sitting alone in the throne room waiting for the countdown not too long ago._

"I don't know and perhaps I might never know, but…this comforts me."

 _I think I should leave._

For some reason, he thought he might have regretted leaving this girl that was too similar to him but he steeled himself anyway. He would at least respect the decision she had already chosen. Who was he to change her mind? What reason would he have to interfere? What would he gain? It was simple really.

He never thought he would even be slightly happy to see someone sneeze.

Ainz had escorted the girl back to a small shack situated in a corner of the village. Throughout the journey, the two never spoke a word to converse other than to clarify the directions to her house. Silently, they walked together with Ainz supporting her.

He could feel her shivering slightly during their journey and it became more vigorous with the occasional freezing gale passing through. Gently, as if afraid to startle her, he shifted her closer to him so that his robes covered more of her in his embrace.

He considered it a lucky break that the locals were already asleep in their own homes and the patrolling guards had already been swapped with Death Knights he had teleported from Nazarick earlier.

It was a little troublesome when Fiore, Pandora's Actor and the rest of the NPCs rushed to his side while he held the girl in a compromising position at her doorstep. Thankfully at that moment, Pandora's Actor understood his intentions without a single word being said and shooed the crowding NPCs to a respectable distance.

The first thing he noticed when he entered the house was the stale smell of hay which was commonly found in all the village houses he visited. The next was the string of droplets connected from a leak in the roof to his head.

He brought the sick girl whose clothes were dripping with water. It would be wrong for him to stay while she undressed so he waited at the doorway, back facing her until she called him back with a weak sounding "hey…".

He returned to see her dry and clad in looser clothes similar to her previous attire. The girl laid on an uncomfortable looking hay mattress with a number of holes where the hay poked out.

For a while, she said nothing and so did he.

"My apologies…"

 _Since she's sick I think it's a good opportunity to test out the potion Nifrea developed._

"Think nothing of it. But a young girl like you shouldn't be out in the rain like that for too long, here take the tower and drink this."

He handed her a towel he had absentmindedly taken to wipe his robes.

The girl wiped her hair with the tower he passed on one hand and hesitantly took the potion in the other.

 _Uh… I didn't mean for you to wipe yourself with that. I cleaned my robes that had mud and dirt with it you know? Ah, what she doesn't know won't kill her I believe?_

The girl had a look of horror as she stared at the purple coloured potion. Timidly, she pulled the cork out of the glass bottle.

"Smells disgusting too."

He suppressed rolling his eyes but he supposed he need not have to considering the mask on his face.

 _Can my eyes even roll now? Hmm… I guess it would just be the red dots rotating in a circle within my eye sockets now. Oh, it doesn't feel like anything really. I don't have eyes anymore after all._

"Stop complaining. As the saying goes, 'The more bitter the medicine, the better.'"

The girl stared at him for a while then focused her attention to the empty bed next to him.

"You sound like a father."

Her words reminded him of Pandora's Actor and all the other NPCs his guild mates had painstakingly created. A strange sort of satisfaction sprouted from his chest. The memories of the past few months since coming here washed over him and he let out a tired sigh that was filled with content.

"In a manner of speaking…"

"You do realize I can't pay you back for the medicine right?"

 _Understandable. But since you made me happier today, I shall take that as payment._

"There are… other ways. But that's not important now, drink up."

The girl continued to study him, her eyes roaming about his frame as if trying to decipher his intentions.

 _Tsk… So troublesome. How do I make her feel less suspicious… Maybe I should apply a little pressure?_

"What's the matter? Is the potion that terrible that you can't stomach to drink it?"

Still the girl did not move and continued to view him with suspicious eyes. He sighed.

 _Just drink it already._

"Very well. Think of it as a token of apology for my earlier disturbance and payment for an experiment."

A good lie was said to have an ounce of truth in it and it was his original intention so with this it should satisfy her. Immediately, the girl rose an eyebrow in question.

 _I believe the english term Perorochino-san used was 'jail bait'. Wait no, that seems wrong… It had something to do with fishing._

"The potion you see before you is a prototype for an improved version of the common blue 'Health' potion. I also wish to see if it could heal diseases as it could wounds. Well?"

Apparently satisfied with his explanation, she gulped the purple liquid with some difficulty and promptly fell asleep.

Ainz stood up to leave, his job done. He supposed he should visit her tomorrow to check the effects of the potion and if it failed to do its job, he would have her drink a Minor-Health potion as his thanks.

 _But it should work as normal though. I'm quite sure of that since I had another villager suffering from this world's version of fever test its effects already._

 _I suppose it is quite stingy if a reward is to experiment on her…_

He looked at a corner of the house and whispered.

"Hey you, have Pandora's Actor fetch a mattress from Nazarick and exchange the one that girl is sleeping on with it."

"As you command, Ainz-sama."

When the sun rose to signal the start of the day, Ainz went to the village chief's house to ask about the girl he met. He learnt that she was recently orphaned and had been isolated from the rest of the villagers because of her strange nature. The village chief went on to inform him about how for the past month or so when she knew of her late father's fate she had become exceedingly depressed and spent the nights in the forest regardless of the weather. She must have been extremely lucky to manage to stay alive so far considering her late night excursions.

 _I think she might have been isolated from her peers even before being orphaned. She gives off the feeling of a loner… I would know._

Ainz returned to her house shortly after.

.

.

"Sorry to disappoint you but your potion failed."

"Huh?"

 _Did not expect that. Does it only heal certain illnesses or is the one I gave her a faulty product? I should gather more information for Nifrea to improve on it._

So deep in his thoughts, Ainz did not notice himself mumbling.

"Sorry for troubling you."

"No, no. This is not your fault, the potion is still in the development phase after all."

With practiced ease he waved off her apology.

 _All my practicing is becoming a habit._

"But may I know why you said it was a failure?"

For a while the girl touched her throat and rubbed her solar-plexus. It seemed like there was some discomfort there.

"I do not know how to explain clearly but there is a pain in my chest and a feeling of rawness in my throat."

 _Could it be an allergic reaction? Is it even possible to be allergic to potions? Many things are different than Yggdrasil here so I have to study more on this. What if some of the NPCs need to use a potion but instead of healing them it causes their bodies to have an adverse reaction? It's dangerous to know too little._

"I am no pharmacist or healer so I apologize for not being able to immediately understand what went wrong but in order to properly study the effects of the potion… I would like to formally employ you to be a research assistant."

The girl stared at the empty bed like she did the previous night again.

 _She does that a lot. Thinking before speaking. It's a good habit._

"I can't possibly accept that."

 _Good answer. Signing a contract without reading the terms and conditions carefully is like freely giving your soul to the devil and getting scammed by him._

"Prior knowledge of alchemy and herbs are not required. All you would have to do is test some of the new potions. I assure you there will be proper compensation and healthcare should anything unfortunate happen. You will also be paid monthly and if you so desire, you can opt to learn more about the field of alchemy and it's like. If I am pleased with your progress, you would be granted a yearly bonus and pay increment. But be warned that though I am generous to hard workers, I do not forgive lazy or irresponsible employees."

The girl brought a hand to a chin to think before flopping herself lifelessly onto her new mattress.

"Uh, hey. O-oi!"

 _At least have the decency to pay attention to your speaker! Is she still sick?_

"Not buying it."

"Huh?! This is a once in a lifetime offer you know? It's simply not possible to find something as good as this elsewhere… So why?"

The strange girl looked directly at his eyes unflinchingly. For a loner of almost three decades and never once had a girlfriend, it made him look elsewhere and a feeling of his back sweating though he could no longer do so.

"To work is to lose."

 _What…_

He stared back in disbelief, his earlier concerns forgotten though the mask defeated the purpose.

Seeing his silence for some kind of approval, she continued.

"I'm not wrong am I?"

"Where do I even begin…"

"A question then, do you like your job?"

 _Did I like being the Sorcerer King? Do I enjoy stressing over all the decisions I would have to make?_

"Not…exactly, no. But I am quite satisfied with it."

A look of understanding was on the girl's face and she nodded up and down repeatedly.

"I see. You are a workaholic than."

 _Urk… I can't disagree with that. But isn't her thinking a little…_

"Forget about the offer then. I won't tell you how you should think so I shall respect your choice. I believe you should drink this though."

Ainz brought out a blood red potion from his item space. The girl's eyes widened momentarily but said nothing.

"This is a true potion of Minor Healing and should remove your illness."

Unlike the previous night, she took the potion and drank it swiftly.

"So, how do you feel now?"

Again, her hand went up to her throat and chest but she shook her head.

"Impossible… explain to me again how your body feels in further detail."

"Sometimes my throat feels sore and painful although there is nothing there. When it happens, there is a feeling of emptiness in my chest."

"When do these symptoms occur?"

"When I go out alone at night to the place we met…and when we talked."

 _Talk? Does talking hurt her? No, no. I have a feeling…_

"Do these symptoms come when you think of your father?"

She paused and looked at him. For a moment he thought he saw her eyes starting to tear up but it quickly receded away.

"Yes… Are you a doctor?"

 _I knew it…_

"No. Not at all. Listen Asta Skovgaard, what you feel is sorrow. The experimental potion worked and that's why there would be no change when you drank the true potion. Most potions can't heal the wounds of the heart, only time can."

"Is that how it is for you?"

This time he laughed.

"Who knows?"

She stared at him and he stared back.

"I am not angry at you for wasting my resources or time since it is not your fault for not knowing things that you are…"

"Inadequate at?"

"Yes. But it doesn't change the fact that you now owe me a potion that is valued at 32 gold."

The girl frowned and looked away.

 _32 gold might be stretching it a little with what the Bareares estimate the value of the Minor Healing potions should be…_

"Now about that job offer…"

~Chapter 1~

A.N: Hmm… yes, this happened. I offer my apologies for any grammatical errors I may have missed out on and I actually had something else I wanted to add on the author's notes but for the life of me I just cannot recall it now.

Other than that, thank you for taking your time to read this humble piece which was pulled out of my ass when my muse hit me from behind. Also, if you are an avid reader of Overlord via Skythewoodstranslations, you should be able to spot a little something with _puppets_ and _strings_ with each additional chapter to this. Something like keeping the traditions and such…

Also thanks to Nigel as well as to Sky and team for presenting me the opportunity to temporarily live in the world of Overlord-metaphorically speaking of course.

PS: This fic also served as an experimental way of writing style for me and its far beyond what I am normally comfortable with, so kudos to me. Good job me.

Edit: Corrected some mistakes and added in some dots for time skips since FFnet did not include any of the line breaks I added on Word.


End file.
